Does Hot Rolled = Mild Steel and Cold Rolled = Tool Steel?
Or is hot and cold rolled merely indicative of a process and nothing to do with the carbon content?
What reading can I do to find out more about this kind of thing?
rvb
Hot and cold rolled describes the process that the mill used to get the big steel billets down to the size that you are buying.
Hot rolled has the scale on it, caused by cooling from red heat in the air.
Nothing to do with the stype of steel.
A copy of Machinery's Handbook would give you a pile of info on what goes into various grades of steel. About $100 or so new (26th Edition is current) but used copies can be found if you look.
If you are near a decent public library or can get access to the library at a decent technical college, the ASTM manuals are a great read. Way too expensive to buy unless you get lucky, these manuals detail EVERYTHING about materials and processes used in manufacturing. Check the reference section.
Cheers Trevor Jones
Trevor Jones Spaketh Thusly:
Look for a pre-WWII edition of Machinery's, after the war they removed a lot of blacksmithing info. I found a very nice 11th edition (1941) on bibliofind.com (now a part of amazon.com) for $20 shipped. There's more info on it at
-- Bill H. [my "reply to" address is real]
Wow! Thanks, Bill!
rvb
Bam! I got it. Thanks for telling me about bibliofind.com. Man, isn't the World Wide Web awesome! Anything, anytime, anywhere. Here are the details (11th edition):
Title: Machinery's Handbook for Machine Shop and Drafting-Room
12mo, 1815pp., thumb- tabbed handbookPublisher: Industrial Press Place of Publication: New York Date of Publication: 1942 Edition: 11th Edition Binding: Leatherette Condition: excellent cond., no dj
Thanks again, Bill!
rvb
Rick Barter Spaketh Thusly:
Glad I could help. That's the same as mine, 11th Ed., 1815 pages, etc., mine was printed in 1941 - but I bet there's no difference at all. I have some pencilled notes inside the back cover, I really wish I knew who owned it originally. Wish these old ones could talk!
The web sites for steel companies (such as admiral.com and crucible.com) have the info on newer stuff that you won't find in the old books. The FAQs for rec.knives (I'm more a bladesmith than a blacksmith) are available at bladeforums.com (when it comes back up - it's broken). I think you'll find the "Steel FAQ" interesting.
-- Bill H. [my "reply to" address is real]
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